Matchroom CEO: “Talks Are Still Ongoing About Joshua vs. Jake”

Frank Smith, CEO of Matchroom Boxing, has revealed that a fight between former world Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul could still happen in early 2026.

“Talks are still ongoing about Joshua vs. Paul for early next year. It’s always been about a fight in the next year. I think Paul and his team always said they wanted one fight before Joshua, and that was the plan — February or March were the main dates for Joshua–Paul. They also mentioned other fights.

Jake vs. Gervonta? It’s an interesting situation. They announced a fight, but the weight hasn’t been agreed, no details have been finalized, so in reality nothing is set yet. You can imagine obstacles will arise, especially because of the massive weight difference between the two.

The reality is, that fight (Joshua vs. Paul) was never going to be in the UK. It’s either the U.S. or Saudi Arabia. The UK was never on the table. I highly doubt the Board would sanction it, but in some U.S. states — yes. From a pay-per-view perspective, there’s a huge market in that time zone. In the UK, people would wake up to watch it,” Smith said.

The bout between Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) and Gervonta Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) is scheduled for November 14 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, USA, broadcast live on Netflix.

Фото: DAZN